If Craig Brown had his way, Aiden McGeady and James McCarthy would be playing for Scotland

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If Craig Brown had his way, Aiden McGeady and James McCarthy would be lining out for the visitors and not the hosts at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

As far as Brown is concerned, both Scottish-born players should be playing for Scotland and not their Euro 2016 opponents Ireland because FIFA’s grandparent rule should be a parent rule.

Under that criteria, both McGeady and McCarthy wouldn’t be eligible to play for Martin O’Neill and instead would be stars in Gordon Strachan’s team.

But Brown, who managed Scotland to Euro ’96 and the World Cup two years later, was quick to stress on a whistle-stop visit to Dublin yesterday that Ireland have done nothing wrong in their pursuit and employment of both midfielders.

“I would have wanted them to play for Scotland but the rules are the rules,” the 74-year-old said.

“And you use the rules to your best. Don Hutchinson headed a winning goal against England for us so he’s a Scotland hero. But I think it was Don’s grandparent – it certainly wasn’t Don himself born in Scotland – but that didn’t matter to the Tartan Army boys.”

"The goal was very well-worked and you have to give great credit to them. I admire Gordon Strachan that he gave the credit to his assistant Stuart McCall.

“It’s easy to be an ‘I’ manager when you’re losing.”

The Glaswegian also speaks highly of O’Neill, who he got to know when the Derry man was Celtic manager and Brown was in the Scotland hot-seat – he mentions one night when they partied at a Robbie Williams gig.

“He’s skilled at deploying his players to get the best from his players, and Scotland have a similar manager in that respect,” said Brown.

“In Scotland, Martin is admired very highly, even the Rangers fans grudgingly admit he’s superb. People say he has to win this game or else but that’s how it always is.”